Graded insulator thin film capacitor and method of making

ABSTRACT

A thin film capacitor suitable for microelectronic circuit applications using aluminum as one electrode and any suitable metal, such as gold, as the other electrode. The dielectric is a metallic oxide of high dielectric constant, such as Ta205, contacted directly by the gold electrode but having a thin film of A1203 interposed between it and the aluminum electrode. The relatively high barrier of the A1-A1203 interface prevents the injection of electrons from the metal into the dielectric and greatly reduces the dissipation and rectifying tendency of the capacitor.

United States Patent [11135 3 [72] Inventor FritzL.Schuermeyer 3,113,253 12/1963 lshikawa 317/258 325 W. Center College St., Yellow Springs, 3,234,442 2/1966 Maissel 317/258 Ohio 45387 3,239,731 3/1966 Matovich 317/258 [21] AppLNo. 831,447 3,256,588 6/1966 Sikina 3l7/258(UX) [22] Filed June9, 1969 3,365,626 1/1968: Mohler 317/258X [45] Patented 1971 Primary ExaminerE. A. Goldberg [S4] GRADED INSULATOR THIN FILM CAPACITOR Attorneys-J-lany A. Herbert, Jr. and James S. Shannon ABSTRACT: A thin film capacitor suitable for microelectronic circuit applications using aluminum as one electrode and any suitable metal, such as gold, as the other electrode. The dielectric is a metallic oxide of high dielectric constant, such as Ta,0 contacted directly by the gold electrode but having a thin film of 1 11,0 interposed between it and the aluminum electrode. The relatively high barrier of the A1-Al,0,

[56] References Cited interface prevents the injection of electrons from the metal UNITED STATES PATENTS into the dielectric and greatly reduces the dissipation and 1,621,05 8 3/1927 Burger 317/258 rectifying tendency of the capacitor.

(E105) (Au) (A!) ("1%) 4 v 3 GRADED INSULATOR THIN FILM CAPACITOR AND METHOD OF MAKING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to thin film capacitors, particularly those employing as the dielectric metallic oxides of high dielectric constant. Tantalum capacitors employing Ta as the dielectric, such as described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,481 to J. Klerer, are examples. Such capacitors are usually formed by first depositing on a suitable substrate a layer of tantalum. The tantalum layer is then subjected to an oxidizing process, such as anodization, for converting the tantalum to a desired depth to Ta 0 whichserves as the dielectric, thus forming the dielectric and one electrode of the capacitor. The other electrode is then formed by depositing a suitable metal such as gold on the surface of the Ta 0 dielectric.

While capacitors of the above type provide a high capacitance for their size, they have the disadvantage of being rectifying and lossy, especially at low frequencies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Investigation has shown the above adverse effects in tantalum thin film capacitors to be due to the low barrier height, approximately 0.3ev., at the Ta-Ta 0 interface, which results in a relatively high probability of electron injection from the metal into the oxide. In accordance with the invention these effects are avoided while retaining the advantage of the high dielectric constant of Ta 0 by using an aluminum electrode in place of the tantalum electrode and by interposing a thin layer of A1 0 between the aluminum electrode and the Ta 0 dielectric. Since the barrier at the A-1-Al 0 interface is relatively high, approximately l.8ev., the probability that electrons will enter the conduction band of the oxide dielectric is very small and the resulting dissipation and rectification are greatly reduced in comparison with capacitors having a Ta- Ta 0: interface. Although the dielectric constant of A1 0 is low relative to Ta 0 the major portion of the dielectric is made up of the latter so that the capacitance is only slightly reduced.

Thin film capacitors of this type may be constructed by depositing a layer of aluminum on'a suitable substrate, oxidizing the aluminum layer to a depth sufficient to produce a thin layer of A1 0 depositing a layer of tantalum on the A1 0 completely oxidizing the tantalum to Ta' 0 and depositing a top electrode on the Ta 0 of a suitable metal such as gold. I

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a cross section, not to scale, showing the construction of a thin film capacitor in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is an energy band diagram of the capacitor shown in FIG. 1. 1

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, the thin film capacitor shown is supported by a suitable insulating substrate 1. The electrode 2 of the capacitor is made of aluminum and the electrode 3 of gold or other suitable metal. The dielectric between the electrodes is principally composed of a layer 4 of Ta t): with a thin layer 5 of A1 0 interposed between the Ta 0 and the aluminum electrode. Because of the high dielectric constant of Ta 0 the A1 0 should constitute as small a portion of the total dielectric as possible. The electrode 3 should be made of a metal providing a relatively high energy barrier at its interface with the Ta tl In the ease of Au, this energy barrier is 1.5ev.

As stated earlier, and as shown for example in the abovereferenced patent to Klerer, the usual method of constructing a tantalum thin film capacitor is to anodize a tantalum electrode to produce the Ta,0 dielectric on which the other electrode is then deposited. Such capacitors tend to be lossy and to rectify due to the injection of electrons from the tantalum electrode into the Ta 0 dielectric across the relatively low energy barrier (0.3ev.) at the Ta-Ta 0 interface. The capacitor of FIG. 1 avoids a Ta-Ta 0 junction by using aluminum instead of tantalum as the electrode metal and A1 0 as the dielectric at the junction between the metal electrode and the dielectric. The relatively high barrier energy (1.8ev.) at the A1-Al 0 interface greatly reduces the probability that electrons will be injected from the metal electrode into the dielectric, thereby greatly improving the quality of the capacitor from the standpoints of dissipation and rectification. Although A1 0 has a lower dielectric constant than Ta 0 it constitutes only a minor portion of the dielectric and therefore does not reduce the capacitance appreciablybelow the value it would have were the dielectric entirely Ta 0 FIG. 2 illustrates the energy band diagram of the capacitor of FIG. 1 at zero voltage, the diagram being shown opposite a cross section of the capacitor. The forbidden gap in the dielectric ranges from 8ev. for A1 0 to 5ev. for Ta 0 The levels E and E are the Fermi levels of the aluminum and gold electrodes respectively.

The following is a specific example of a method by which a capacitor of the type shown in FIG. 1 may be constructed:

1. Deposit a layer of A1 approximately 500--l000 A thick on a suitable substrate. This may be accomplished by any of the known methods such as vapor deposition or sputtering.

2. Anodize the A1 in a suitable solution, such as tartaric acid, to a voltage of 520 volts as required to produce the oxide A1 0 to the desired depth.-

3. Deposit a thin layer of tantalum (Ta) with the desired geometry on top of the formed A1 0 by any known method. The thickness is critical and will be determined by the considerations given in step (4).

4. Anodize completely the Ta layer in a suitable solution,

such as 0.1 percent H under constant current conditions witha current of, for example, 3 l0 Alcm During anodization, the voltage across the layer will rise. When all the Ta has been transformed into Ta 0 the voltage will rise sharply or jump. Since it is undesirable to anodize the Al-Al 0 interface further, the anodization must be stopped at the beginning of the voltage jump. The Ta layer thickness must be chosen such that its complete anodization results in the desired Ta 0 thickness. As an example, 250A of Ta will result in a 1000A film of T8205 and the anodization potential will be 50 volts.

. Deposit a top electrode of a suitable metal, such as Au, of the desired thickness and geometrical form by any of the various known methods.

While the specific capacitor described above uses Ta 0 as the dielectric material, the invention may also be applied to capacitors using other metallic oxides of high dielectricconstant such as Ti0 I-IfO Nb 0 and Bi Ti 0 Also a Si-SiO interface, having a barrier height of 3.0ev., may be substituted for the A1-A1 0 interface. Further, the oxides need not be formed by anodization as described, but may be deposited directly as by sputtering.

Iclaim:

1. The method of forming a thin film Ta 0 capacitor comprising the steps of: depositing a thin layer'of aluminum on a suitable insulating substrate to form a first electrode; oxidizing the surface of said aluminum layer to a small depth to form a thin layer of A1 0 depositing a layer of Ta on said A1 0 layer; completely oxidizing said Ta to Ta 0 to form the principal dielectric of the capacitor; and depositing a second metallic electrode on said T21 0 layer, the metal of said second electrode being one having at its interface with the Ta 0 a much higher energy barrier against the injection of electrons from the metal into the conduction band of the Ta 0 than the relatively low barrier that exists at an interface between Ta and Ta 0 2. A thin film capacitor comprising, on an insulating substrate', a first electrode consisting of a thin layer of aluminum having a portion of its surface oxidized to A1 0, to a small depth, a layer of T3 0, on said oxidized surface constituting the principal dielectric of the capacitor, and a second electrode on said T3 layer, said second electrode being a thin 

2. A thin film capacitor comprising, on an insulating substrate, a first electrode consisting of a thin layer of aluminum having a portion of its surface oxidized to A1203 to a small depth, a layer of Ta205 on said oxidized surface constituting the principal dielectric of the capacitor, and a second electrode on said Ta205 layer, said second electrode being a thin layer of a metal having at its interface with the Ta205 dielectric a much higher energy barrier against the injection of electrons from the metal into the conduction band of the Ta205 than the relatively low barrier that exists at an interface between Ta and Ta205. 